Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)These CGI short films are collected from Blizzard games of the past few years - Starcraft, Diablo 2, and Warcraft 3. Great games in their own right, fans were amazed that the cinematics reached Hollywood-level quality. Early work in Starcraft was somewhat crude, but Blizzard's latest efforts are the best in the industry, showing subtle lighting effects and beautiful art design. No feature films, not Shrek or Monsters Inc or Final Fantasy, can match the wonderful mix of realism and exagerated fantasy in Blizzard's work. I strongly recommend this box set for any Sci-Fi, Fantasy, or gaming fan.
The DVDs are seperated, 1 for each game, and they come with standard extras - audio commentary for each film, concept artwork, storyboards, trailers and commercials, and even a Warcraft trivia game. I delve into each individual DVD below, but....
Sadly, this box set is less than perfect. Blizzard could have - should have - combined everything onto 1 DVD, there is so little material here. Instead, you get the same 3 DVDs already available for each of these games: the Starcraft DVD and the 2 DVDs from the collectors' editions of Diablo 2 and Warcraft 3. If you own these things already, you'll discover nothing new here.
Blizzard's greatest crime was to forget the cinematics for the Diablo 2 expansion, Lord of Destruction. You won't find it in this collection. The story for each game is hard to follow for anyone who hasn't played the games (although the audio commentary sometimes helps). Also, the enhanced resolution for these movies isn't that much of an improvement - Diablo 2 and Warcraft 3 films look virtually the same, and Starcraft movie improve TOO much, such that their faults from old-age show through.
STARCRAFT: This DVD is the oldest, and the crudest, the simplest. However, it is interesting to watch Blizzard's artists grow, and the films are still entertaining, especially a Marine investigation on a science vessel that turns into a 5 minute remake of Aliens. The films from the Starcraft Expansion are considerably improved, more complex, more atmospheric. The story involves 3 races in a galactic war, with a huge cast of characters and events. The human Terrans are at war with each other when the organic Zerg horde attacks, while the mysterious Protoss wait in the shadows.The commentary will help you figure out the plot, and is entertaining in itself.
DIABLO 2: This is easily the best DVD of the 3, because the Diablo movies are the most compelling, most visually striking, and they tell a complete story, which runs parallel to the players' quest in the game. It follows the tragic failure of the Wanderer, a hero who once defeated Diablo, Lord of Terror, only to become possessed and later consumed by the demon. The films show incredible battles, one between Diablo and beautiful archangel Tyreal, and another in a burning inn, with skeletons and other nightmares leaping straight from the flames.
The game ended in a cliffhanger, and Blizzard choose not to include the films from the later expansion which resolved this. However, the teaser trailers for Diablo 2 are the best "new" material in the box set, because they show things you won't find in the game. There is also some early Blizzard CGI work, from Diablo 1 and Warcraft 2. Watch this, THEN watch Starcraft, and you'll understand why we were so excited when SC first came out.
WARCRAFT 3: While WC3 is the newest and technically the best of the DVDs, I feel that the artistic direction was somehow a step backwards for this game. The WC3 films are bright and very, very beautiful, but somehow they don't stand as "tall" as Diablo 2.
Warcraft 3, like Starcraft, has multiple races at war with each other. The human kingdoms are fighting each other when the Undead Scourge attack suddenly, all while the mysterious Night Elves wait in the shadows (sound familiar?). The orcs travel on a journey of racial freedom, and eventually join forces with the Elves and Humans to drive back a demonic invasion from another dimension, the Burning Legion.
Most of the films are very good, but those that feature the lord of the Burning Legion are boring, especially the climax of the story and the game, which was a major letdown. The audio commentary is also boring, getting lost in obscure technical details and not telling enough of the story to follow along. A Warcraft trivia game is a nice extra, though.
There, I hope I gave enough information... =)
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